Joseph Priestley and the Argument from Design

ABSTRACT

Although Joseph Priestley was notorious for rejecting much of orthodox Christianity and replacing it with a materialistic Unitarianism, in another respect he was an orthodox theist of his time in that he passionately upheld the Argument from Design. The Argument from Design was the heart of his “rational religion”. He contended that natural order, especially biological order, could only be successfully explained by intentional agency. At the time, however, the Argument was coming under attack, first from David Hume, then from Matthew Turner, and lastly from Erasmus Darwin. Priestley replied to each of these critics. This article surveys his replies. The three critics of the Argument contended that intelligent agency could offer only a weak explanation of natural order, that natural order is self-explanatory, or that natural mechanisms can explain biological order. Priestley in turn critiqued all three contentions, arguing that the Argument is a strong explanation; that natural order cannot be self-explanatory; and that the proposed natural explanations conflict with the empirical evidence.     

Generative spaces of gender and feminist geography in Singapore: entanglements of the personal and political

Abstract

While geographers’ work in Southeast Asia has yet to engage substantively with theoretical developments in gender/feminist studies generated by Anglo-American academic centers, we argue that Singapore has proven to be somewhat of an exception. Focusing on the National University of Singapore, this article discusses how the development of gender and feminist geography in Singapore has benefitted from being able to engage with international debates in feminism through the country’s and NUS’ internationalization efforts, and working in the English language. Using the notion of generative spaces, we highlight first, the importance of using our teaching to engage in feminist activism to encourage feminist change in the classroom, as well as within our immediate communities and further afield; and second, the nascent yet significant contributions of feminist geographers based in Singapore to feminist theorization from and about the Global South.     

Moreno y Escandón’s Plan geográphico del Virreinato de Santafé de Bogotá, 1772

The extent to which Francisco Antonio Moreno y Escandón’s plan of the Viceroyalty of Santafé sparked a revival of cartographical activity has hitherto been overlooked. The Viceroyalty of Santafé was created as a major unit in the Spanish Empire in 1739 and included the present-day countries of Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Panama. Moreno, a high-standing Creole functionary, mapped the region in 1772 in the context of its administrative organization. By drawing attention to Moreno’s official map, I hope to encourage the study of late-colonial and early-republican cartography of the northwestern part of the former Spanish-American dominion and the present-day constituent republics.     

规划新区与政教分离的构想: “黑错设治”筹议研究(1943—1945)

南京国民政府时期的黑错是甘肃省夏河县属一个乡。抗日战争时期,甘肃省政府筹议从夏河、临潭、卓尼三县局中析置黑错“新治”,并先后三次派员前往甘南进行实地查勘,规划出了成型的新政区。它从有着纷繁复杂的政教权力系统、多元民族宗教文化和此疆彼界犬牙交错的地域中析出,既有“众建分势”的用意,也暗寓推进新政区政教分离及其新变化的构想,流露出了边疆治理策略的现代转向。官员们精心规划和推进政区调整的想法,却遭到了本地不同身份人士的一致反对。本地人借助多种策略表达自己的呼声,加之抗战时期财政窘蹙和官员们深恐地方变乱等,“黑错设治”最终流产,官员们的精心规划和构想化为泡影,这表明边疆地区的政区调整需要充分考虑地方文化因素。     

“南海Ⅰ号”出水漆器残片的成分结构分析

为了用现代化学分析手段来剖析“南海Ⅰ号”漆器的髹漆工艺,以“南海Ⅰ号”出水的3片不同髹漆工艺的漆片为例,采用显微镜(OM)、X射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电子显微镜-能谱仪(SEM-EDS)、傅里叶红外光谱仪(FT-IR)、共聚焦拉曼光谱仪(Raman)等科学测试仪器进行研究,从髹漆的层数、显色材料的成分、漆膜的成分、漆灰的结构和成分、胎体的结构等方面来深度剖析“南海Ⅰ号”出水漆器残片的结构及制作工艺。表面显微观察显示漆片花纹精致美观,细部处理到位;截面显微观察显示剔红样品共有9层,分别是外漆5层,内漆1层,内外漆灰各1层,胎体1层;剔犀样品共7层,分别是外漆3层,内漆1层,内外漆灰各1层,胎体1层;褐漆样品共6层,分别是外漆和内漆各1层,内外漆灰各1层,内漆灰中加杂1层编织物层,胎体1层。拉曼测试结果表明3块漆片中红色显色材料为朱砂(HgS),黄色显色材料为雌黄(As_(2)S_(3)),黑色显色材料为炭黑(C)。样品中内外漆灰成分为羟基磷酸钙[Ca_(5)(PO_(4))_(3)(OH)]、石英(SiO_(2))和水合草酸钙[CaC_(2)O_(4)(H_(2)O)_(2.375)]等常见物质。漆膜的成分是生漆中添加了少量的石英颗粒,没有添加桐油作为助剂。     

安徽淮北烈山窑遗址发掘简报

烈山窑址位于安徽省淮北市烈山区烈山镇烈山村,2018年开始发掘,面积700平方米,分为三个区域:Ⅰ区金元窑址区域、Ⅱ区唐代末期至北宋窑址区域、Ⅲ区汉代窑址区。清理各类遗迹70余处,包括6座窑炉、52个灰坑、1条道路、14条灰沟,以及大量遗物,其中以白瓷、青釉瓷、三彩器为主,产品主要包括碗、盘、盏、罐、素烧建筑构件、黄釉印花砖等。烈山窑址很可能就是文献中记载的宿州窑,其主要受定窑、磁州窑和巩县窑的技术影响,时代划分为东汉、唐代末期至元代晚期。     

Variable Ovicaprid Diet and Faecal Spherulite Production at Amara West,Sudan

ABSTRACT

This paper presents the results of integrated geoarchaeological and archaeobotanical analyses of desiccated and charred ovicaprid dung pellets from the New Kingdom pharaonic settlement of Amara West (Sudan). These analyses reveal diagnostic phytolithic evidence for considerable variations in plant diet amongst the site’s ovicaprid population. These data shed light on aspects of ancient animal husbandry practice, the settlement’s subsistence economy and residents’ exploitation of natural resources. We also observe that specific phytolith types correlate with the presence (and quantity) or absence of calcium carbonate faecal spherulites in analysed dung pellets. This evidence, augmented by experimental analysis of analogous modern plant material, suggests that dietary Ca intake is implicated in faecal spherulite crystallization within the ovicaprid digestive system.     

欧阳修论考史

欧阳修在长期从事文献史料的收集、整理和研究工作中,始终能够坚持创新与求实并重原则,在考史方面得出了一些新的观点和认识,即:考史应"不没其实",力求史实真相;"慎于传疑",不轻易下结论;"勇断不惑",敢于创发己见;"不苟立异",反对刻意标新;"切于人事",排斥天命神学,这些至今仍具有方法论的意义。